Tone arm mounting



May 29, 1951 E. s. MARIS 2,554,950

TONE MOUNTING Filed 'June 20, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR cam;

ATTORNEY May 29, 1951 E. s. MARIS TONE ARM MOUNTING 3-Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1946 m wuu INVEF ITOR fizaaaa .f/Jfdilk BY ATTORNEY May 29, 1951 E. s. MARIS TONE ARM MOUNTING 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 20, 1946 INVENTOR. ilk/40d .S farzls cm flTOF/Y/ Patented May 29', 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TONE ARM MOUNTING Elwood S. Maris,, Upper Darby, Pa, assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application June 20, 1946, Serial No. 678,077

tone arm of a record player; to provide a novel llechanism for looking a tone arm in rest position; to provide an automatic control for the mounting of a tone arm when the latter is moved toplaying position; to provide a mounting for a.

tone arm wherein provision is made for automatically lifting the tone arm to playing position;

to provide-a mounting for a tone arm which automatically operates to latch a tone arm in both its rest and playing positions; and to provide other improvements as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of a record player embodying one form of the present invention and wherein the tone arm is shown in-playing position with the rest position indicated by dotted lines; Figure 2 is a side elevatioirpartly in section, and on an enlarged scale showing the tone arm and its actuating mechanism in the intermediate position; Figure 3 is a bottom plan of the parts shown Figure 2; Figure 4 is a bottom plan of the tone arm; and Figure 5 is a section on line 5-4: ofFigure 4; Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the tone arin'loc'ked in the upper position, and Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the tonearm locked in the lowered position and with a portion of the tone arm broken away.-

Referring to the drawings one form of the present invention comprises a case I arranged tohouse the usual sound reproducing equipment including the motor which operates the turn- The upper face of the case lil is pro tone arm l3 and of such a depth as to bring the plane top and plane side of the tone arm 53 into the respective planes ofthe top'and side of the case Hi, so that in effect the exposed faces of the tone arm respectively form continuations of the I top and side of the case I 0. Thus when the player unit is not being used the rest position of the tone arm l3 will be in the recess I2 and the player unit will appear .as a compact assembly of uniform pleasing contour due to the absence of proiecting tone arm parts. y

In order to prevent damage to the record needle when the'tone arm is in its rest position, the recess I2 is provided with an end well M, over which the pick-up I9 of the tone arm I3 is positioned inits rest position, and the depth of this well I4 is such that a clearance is formed between the needle and the bottom of the well It. In the preferred form of the invention the tone with an elongated recess 12 having a corn 'tourazwhich is complemental to the contour of 2 arm I3 is of channel shape to provide a conduit for the pick-up wires. which lead to the sound reproducing unit (not shown) and also to receive a latch bracket I5 having ears I6 respectively journalled on a pin il extending transversely of the tone arm channel to form a horizontal pivot for the tone arm l3. The bracket l5 has a forward upwardly disposed extension I8 forming a support for the tone arm [3.

In order that the tone arm l3 can be removed from the recess l2 for movement to playing position the bracket I5 is apertured adjacent the ears I6 to receive the upper end of the journal pin 20 which is suitably anchored to the bracket I5 as will be understood. This pin 20 is arranged to enter a vertically disposed tubular post 2| carried by a yoke 22, which latter is pivotally mounted on a horizontally disposed pivot pin 23 traversing the side flanges of a lift arm 24. The opposite end of the lift arm 24 is pivoted to a horizontally disposed pin 25 mounted in ears 26 depending from a frame plate 21, which in assembled position is fixed to the bottom of the top of the case I0. 7 v v For automatically lifting the arm 24 to elevate the tone arm l3 to playing position, a coiled spring 28 is stretched between the plate 21 and the arm 24, the arrangement being such that when the tone arm 24 is in rest position the spring 28 will be biased to lift the arm 24 when the latter is released.

For the purpose of latching the tone arm in rest position the plate 21 is provided with side flanges 30 which form journals for a pin 3| to which a latch 32 is attached. The upper end of the latch 32 is provided with a cammed hook 33 positioned to snap around one end of a latch plate 35, which is secured to a boss 35 on the tone arm l3 in rest position. The opposite end of the latch-32 is also provided with a latching hook 36 oppositely disposed with respect to the hook l3 and arranged to enter a slot 31 in the base of the arm 24 when the latter is elevated to bring the tone arm I3 to playing position. A coil spring 38 encircles the pin 3| and is biased to return and maintain the pin and the two hooks in latching position. A stop strip straddles the flanges 39 to form an abutment in the path of the latch 32 to limit the latch movement under the. action of the spring 38 and is pivoted on the pin 3 I.

From the foregoing it will be seen when the tone arm I3 is lowered to rest position that the latch hook 33 will snap over the end of the plate 3 and thus hold the tone arm until position to bring the tone arm I3 to a position where it can be swung laterally with the pin 20 as a vertical axis to playing position above a record on the turntable. When in this position the lower latch hook 36 snaps through the slot 31 to latch against the arm 24 and hold it in elevated position while the record is being played.

A volume control knob 42 is preferably located in the recess I2 for ready access and thus in rest position of the tone arm there are no exterior obstructions, other than the turntable.

In order to limit the upward swing of the ton arm l3, the end of the plate 34 is provided with a stop arm 43 projecting laterally beneath the bracket l5 and arranged to engage the lower side of the extension 18 when the tone arm l3 has reached its proper elevation.

It will now be apparent that a complete unitary record player case and tone arm have been devised wherein the latter in rest postion is so arranged that exposed portions thereof form continuations of the adjacent surfaces of the case, while mechanism of a novel character is provided for controlling the two positions of the tone arm.

I claim as my invention:

a 1. In a record player having a casing, the combination of a tone arm, means for mounting said tone arm for movement about a vertical axis, an arm pivoted to said casing to swing about a horizontal axis and carrying said mounting means, a spring biased directly between said casing and said arm, said spring actuating said arm into a fixed upper position in which said position said tone arm is in playing position, and means for latching said tone arm in biased condition of said spring. a a

2. In a record player having a casing, the combination of a tone arm, means for mounting said tone arm for movement about a vertical axis, an arm pivoted to said casing to swing about a horizontal axis and carrying said mounting means, a spring biased directly between said casing and said arm, said spring actuating said arm into a fixed upper position in which said position said tone arm is in playing position, means for latching said tone arm in biased condition of said spring, and manually operable means for releasing said latching means whereby said arm is automatically lifted to said fixed upper position.

3. In a record player having a casing, the combination of a tone arm, means for mounting said tone arm for movement about a vertical axis, an arm pivoted to said casing to swing about a horizontal axis and carrying said mounting means, a spring biased directly between said casing and said arm, said spring actuating said arm into a fixed upper position in which said position said tone arm is in playing position, means for latching said tone arm in biased condition of said spring, manually operable means for releasing said latching means-whereby said arm is automatically lifted to said fixed upper position, and means for latching said arm in said fixed upper position.

4. In a record player having a casing, the comtill bination of a tone arm, means for mounting said tone arm for movement about a vertical axis, a frame attached to said casing, an arm pivoted to said frame to swing about a horizontal axis and carrying said mounting means, a spring biased between said frame and said arm to normally lift said mounting means to position said tone arm in ,playing position, a-latch member pivoted to said frame having a hook at one end to engage said tone arm to maintain said spring in biased condition and also having a hook at its other end to engage said lift arm and hold it in lifted position when said spring is released from biased position, and a spring arranged to bias said latch member to both latching positions.

5. In a record player of the type wherein a casing is provided having a tone arm receiving recess, the combination of a pivot pin, a tone arm carried by said pin, an operating arm pivoted respectively at its ends to said casing and to said pivot pin to permit said tone arm to be lowered into said recess or raised to playing position, spring means attached directly, between said casing and said operating, arm for biasing said pin upwardly thereby to move said tone arm to playing position, and. a spring controlled latching means. for locking said tone arm in either of its two positions.

6. In a record player of the. type wherein a casing is provided having a tonearm. receiving recess, the combination of a pivot-.pin, a tone arm carried by said pin, a keeper attached to said tone arm, an operating arm pivoted respectively at its ends to said casing and to said pivot pin to permit said tone arm to be lowered into said recess or raised to playing position, a keeper formed in said operating arm, means biasing said operating arm to-project said pin upwardly to move said tone arm to playing position, and a spring controlled latching means for alternately engaging said two keepers according to the position of said tone arm whereby said tone' arm is locked in either, of its two positions.

7. In a record player of the typewherein a casing is provided having a tone arm receiving recess, the combination of a pivot pin,-a tone arm carried by said pin, a keeper attached to said tone arm, an operating, arm pivoted respectively at its ends to said casing and to said pivot pin to permit said tone arm to be lowered into said recess or raised to playing position, a keeper formed in said operating arm, means biasing said operating arm to project said pin upwardly to move said'tone arm to playing position, a spring controlled latching means for alternately engaging said two keepers according to the position of said tone arm whereby, said tone arm is locked in either ofits two positions, and means for manually releasing said latching means.

ELWOOD S. MARIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record-in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Gay Nov. 30, 1943 

